A glimmer of silver...

[femme-du-chat.livejournal.com]

Having to get used to your own body isn't something that most people ever have to do. Luckily for Selina, it doesn't seem to be taking her very long at all. Still, she hasn't ventured out onto the rooftops yet. Not further than her own roof, at least.

Wouldn't want to go and do something really embarassing.

Looking out over the city, a glimpse of something silver catches her eye as it moves through the night. Soft notes reach her ears as she turn to look, one of the facets drawing her eyes to it.

Whatever this is, she would like to keep it.

Comments

[lesliethompkins.livejournal.com]

"It's time, Selina."

The voice of Dr. Leslie Thompkins is detached and professional.

[femme-du-chat.livejournal.com]

Selina is looking at the floor. Never a good sign at all when she isn't making eye contact in a conversation. "I still haven't figured out ... how." A moment of silence, "But I'm starting to realize that there isn't a way."

[lesliethompkins.livejournal.com]

The expression on her face softens in heartfelt sympathy. "No one is ever ready to receive news like this, dear. Especially from a loved one."

[femme-du-chat.livejournal.com]

"I don't know how he'll take it."

And she's worried about it. It's taken her this long to start to come to grips with everything herself.

"I'll need to take my file or he'll just be down here looking for it five minutes after I tell him."

[holly-gonightly.livejournal.com]

The door opens and closes, softly.

Holly looks subdued as she enters.

[lesliethompkins.livejournal.com]

Leslie refrains from responding immediately. How much Holly knows about the situation is unclear.

[femme-du-chat.livejournal.com]

"Holly."

The girl has known that there was something wrong but she hasn't really made it entirely clear just yet. This will likely give her more of an idea.

Selina pulls out a small stack of papers and hands them over to Holly. "I want you ... I want you to sign these."

[holly-gonightly.livejournal.com]

Holly stares for a moment at the papers.

"... these are adoption papers," she says, carefully.

Observant, that girl.

[femme-du-chat.livejournal.com]

"Yes. Yes, they are."

And yes, Holly is a little old for such things but that doesn't matter to Selina at all. She glances toward Leslie and then back to Holly.

[holly-gonightly.livejournal.com]

"Um," says Holly. "Um, Selina? Why are these adoption papers?"

It's a good thing, but she's pretty sure it's not for a happy reason.

[lesliethompkins.livejournal.com]

Leslie drops her head, a silent witness to the affair.

[femme-du-chat.livejournal.com]

"Because I should have done this a long damned time ago." That's the worst part of this whole thing. The feeling of so much time wasted. "I'm sick. And the treatments I'm going to have to start are... potentially just as bad."

[holly-gonightly.livejournal.com]

Holly's gaze lifts from the papers to her best friend.

"You want me to sign these because you're... sick," she says. Mostly for her own sake.

She takes a deep breath.

"No," she says. "I'll sign them when you get better. I can sign them... when you're not sick."

[femme-du-chat.livejournal.com]

"Holly."

Selina's voice hardens as she speaks, "There aren't any certainties that is going to happen. I'm going to fight this..." Why can't she say it? It is just a word...

[holly-gonightly.livejournal.com]

Holly swallows.

"Okay," she says. "Yeah. You're going to fight... it, and you're going to win. That's what you do. And then... and then you can adopt me. I promise."

There's something almost pleading in her voice.

[femme-du-chat.livejournal.com]

Selina reaches out toward Holly, looking to take her hands.

"Holly. I can't take the chance that I might not get better." She wants to pull the younger woman in close and hug her, "I wanted you to come here in case you had any questions about the cancer. Or the treatment. Leslie can answer them."

There. That wasn't so hard. Her voice hardly wavered at all.

[lesliethompkins.livejournal.com]

Leslie does her very best to remain detached. It's easier said than done. She's known Selina now for many years. She turns her attention to Holly, expecting there to be a barrage of questions.

[holly-gonightly.livejournal.com]

Holly takes Selina's hands, and for a long moment she just stands there, studying her face.

"How long have you, um... how long has this..."

She trails off, unsure of how to phrase the question.

[femme-du-chat.livejournal.com]

"Not too long." Selina swallows a bit, pulling Holly in closer. "But now I'm going to have to go into the hospital for awhile." Really, it feels like she's known for a lot longer than she has.

[holly-gonightly.livejournal.com]

Holly wraps her arms around Selina's neck.

And just stays that way for a while.

[femme-du-chat.livejournal.com]

Selina wraps Holly up in her arms and looks across the space to Leslie. Telling Bruce isn't going to end up in hugs. There is a ficker of amusement in her eyes after a moment, "Now you'll have to come to dinner more often."

[holly-gonightly.livejournal.com]

Holly laughs. It feels inappropriate, but... satisfying.

"Yeah, I guess I will."

Sniffle.

"So how are you going to beat this?"

[femme-du-chat.livejournal.com]

"Well, Leslie and I have a plan."

Selina turns Holly around to look at the older woman. She keeps her arms around her though.

[holly-gonightly.livejournal.com]

Holly nods.

"Let's hear the plan, then."

[lesliethompkins.livejournal.com]

"Stage two is commonly treated by surgery. A lumpectomy. Followed by several weeks of radiotherapy to the surrounding area."